How to unclutter your IE8 bar

[catilley1092]

I'm not a regular IE user any longer myself (am playing w/IE9 RC), but I feel that IE8 is a little cluttered near the top of the browser. This tutorial will show you how to get more screen, especially important for netbook/notebook computers, with limited screen size.

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2814/ie8_hide_favorites_bar/

This will give you the IE7 look.

Cat

 

[TrainableMan]

The problem with disabling the Favorites is that you also loose your "Links" buttons. This was not the case in ie6; just one more disappointment from Microsoft's development team.

 

[davehc]

My own preference is to have the old menu bar showing, and select my favorites/links from there. The Favorites bar can then be hidden. Mine goes off the browser screen anyway, so it is not convenient.
But of late I have been placing my favorites over on the left, as a navigational column. Clears the top bar but, of course, you lose some horizontal space.

 

[TrainableMan]

I use the favorites from the menu line (which I put back up top where I feel it belongs).

 

[catilley1092]

That "uncluttered" look is what's also appealing to IE9 RC. Firefox is also making strides in that direction. That's why I never liked add on "toolbars" that almost every free app tries to get you to install.

However TM does have a point. Accessing favorites could be a little troublesome, unless you delete all of your bookmarks and put your favorites at the top of the list. This could possibly be accomplished with XMarks (a FF add on), your bookmarks are stored online. The developers of future browsers could take this into consideration.

Apparently, IE already has, as there is no favorites bar at the top of the screen.

davehc, you have a good point there. Many of today's monitors are true widescreens, so moving them over to the left (or right) wouldn't bother me. Having them vertically, you'd lose a minimal amount of screen resolution. When using FF, the right side of my screen has 4-5 inches of open space (the home screen is showing there). That's plenty of space for a favorites bar, if that option were available on every browser.

Cat

 

[davehc]

I,ve just read through the thread again. I think I may be chasing the wrong subject?
What is meant by the Links "buttons". Or, as I have, I hope, followed, is this the normal list of favorites, as they appear in the username - favorites folder? (Under "favorites" in the IE Toolbar)

 

[TrainableMan]

Links are buttons you can add beside the Favorites in IE8 (basically Favorites you use so often that you can actually add and then access as a single click icon) but in IE6 they had their own toolbar so you could turn off Favorites but still have the links. Links also appear as a folder under favorites (folder may be called something else now but I renamed mine to links).

 

[davehc]

I see. My thoughts were in the right direction then. I do prefer folders, though. I think I would find exposing the links too cumbersome and lengthy

 

[Digerati]

I do prefer folders, though

I got used to "Links" with IE6 and cannot live without them (that and QuickLaunch!). As noted, they are part of Favorites, at least with IE9RC (which I really like, BTW). However I don't keep individual shortcuts on my Links toolbar, but I do have 12 folders and inside them, I have dozens of bookmarked links. I even have folders in folders.

I like not having the Main Menu up there. I missed it at first and even put it there permanently for a bit. But then I realized I did not use it much, and started getting used to just pressing the Alt key whenever I needed it.

 

[TrainableMan]

I use the "file ... save as" to store webpages I use for reference, and I use favorites from the menu, and "tools ... Internet options" a good bit so I always have the menu. To cut down on space I dropped the favorites (and unfortunately links). What I would love to do is put them both the menu and favorites on the same line but alas that is not possible.

And I also restored Quick launch; I prefer the unopened items and open ones seperate rather than interspersed together.

 

[Mychael]

I don't use ie but in FF I just have the dropdown bookmark list. Am I missing something usefull? I've got my bookmark folders broken into sub-sections and find things pretty easily. Is there a better way?

 

[TrainableMan]

Is there a better way?

In FF, not really. In fact, because Links are in a separate directory rather than stored under bookmarks, Firefox completely ignores them when it imports your bookmarks; I had to create a folder in FireFox bookmarks called Links and then copy my IE Links URLs.

Off topic but ... How about accelerators? If you don't use those THEN you may be missing out on something. I used to write my own right-click scripts for IE6 (based on a script somebody else wrote) so when I went to IE8 I really liked most of the features of accelerators. Firefox doesn't have them native but there is an add-in called Cleeki that works really well for me and is basically accelerators for Firefox. I like being able to highlight movies or actors from webpage text and right-click and open a new tab about it at IMDB or right-click on an obscure word and pull it up in Webster's online dictionary.

 

[Mychael]

Ta, I'll take a look.

 

[Digerati]

I use accelerators all the time. I put TheFreeDictionary in there so when I run into a word I don't know, the acclerators makes looking up the definition a simple task. Mapping an street address is nice too.